15 years with my original STX grouppo on a TREK 6500
Bike year round in rain, ice sleet and sun without a second thought to my drive chain. Recently replaced my chain after 10 years (oops) and found some wear on my primary (middle) chainring. Can't blame STX since the chain stretched by 3/32 inch over 1 foot of original length. The original cassette cleaned up like new.
Absolutely reliable. I've ridden countless commuter miles, kept up with high-end road bikes running Deore, and then out climbed them on the hills. If STX weighs a bit more than other component systems, I don't notice it on my 13.5 kilo bike.
Hyperglide still shifts smoothly with my original GripShift "levers", though I have to over shift by one gear to pull the derailleur down to the right gear, then immediately put it into the indicated gear.
Even though I generally neglect my bike, it has been extremely reliable all these years and don't like the thought of replacing it. I've put up to 3000 miles per year on the bike with little more than tires, tubes, brake pads, and some TriFlow on the chain but only when it makes noise. For that, I'll call it "maintenance free" and it's never let me down.

Submitted by
Kameron Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Spokane,WA,United States

Date Reviewed: February 27, 2004

Strengths: Just about everything, durable, looks good, lasts a really long time with care.

Weaknesses: dosent hold adjustment very well

Bottom Line:

The STX group was great for me, it has lasted EIGHT years on my Sedona with lots of beating over the years. the shifting comes out of adjustment quite a bit but when it is dialed in it is awesome, there is some slipage under HEAVY torque but nothing too bad. The only thing separating it from it's high line brothers is the weight. switching my wheels gave me an eight speed hub and soon i will be switching my old sedona to an 8 speed XTR group. Anyone looking for a durable smooth seven speed group buy this stuff.

My first bike a trek 7000 zx came with stx-rc and i admit it has had its problems. However, i only noticed these problems after 8 months of riding mostly in town. But compared to the crap i have ridden previously (huffy) this set is a dream. Of course now that I am cultured in the fine sport of mountain biking I would like better stuff. Still as a set to break in new bikers it is very worthwhile.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Chris
a weekend warrior
from Canberra, Oz

Date Reviewed: September 30, 1998

Bottom Line:

Well, I got an STX-RC 24 speed setup on my new '98 Giant ATX970. The hubs seem to run fine, the V-Brakes are good (matched with Diacompe levers), the rear derailleur runs well, but I am disappointed with the Crnakset/chain/front derailleur setup. It keeps throwing tyhe chain on upshifts and downshifts from the middle chainring. Plus, it won't change under any sort of load, especially down. I am hoping that this will go away with some use to let everything bed together, but after 50-60km, it is no better. It is adjusted fine so it seems. Anyway, 3 chillies.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Jamie Murphy
a cross-country rider
from ottawa canada

Date Reviewed: September 23, 1998

Bottom Line:

I recently purchased a Shimano STX rear derailer. It works great,it takes mud and dirt well, and it was not over priced. I was cosidering an lx but my stx works just fine.I tried an xt but my stx works just as well. It was a big improvment over my 7SIS.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Doug
a weekend warrior
from Scttsdale, AZ

Date Reviewed: September 23, 1998

Bottom Line:

I have had my new rear STX derailer for about 2 months now. I think that it functions well, however it does not match the quality and performance as on some of the LX derailers that I have tried. The Price is a whole lot less than those of the top of the line XT and XTR components, but you get a lot for your money. I love my derailer so much that i think that Im gonna change all of my components.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
sv
a cross-country rider
from md

Date Reviewed: February 8, 1998

Bottom Line:

STX is a great value for the m oney, I have been through mud, sleet, rain, snow, dirt, and anything else that has been thrown at me and I haven't had a problem. The rear d. is great, I have thought of upgrading to xt but why, Stx is all you need for mountain riding.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Guillermo
a cross-country rider
from Honduras, Central America

Date Reviewed: November 20, 1997

Bottom Line:

I've ridden a combination of Shimano '97 STX/STX-RC with LX V-brakes group for about 6 months now, I ride 2-3 times a week and raced it in rain, mud & sand with normal maintenance and it has never missed a shift.Brakes are ok, but the pads wear quickly and are able to trap small stones in their wear indicators. I would recommend it to a beginner/racer type of rider who does not want to spend a lot of money and expect a good & decent performance for the price.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
cg
a weekend warrior
from s.f., ca.

Date Reviewed: October 3, 1997

Bottom Line:

have had the stx grouppo on my 95 hookooekoo for over 2years...shifting has been smooth overall and braking average ( i recently switched to kool stop pads and now know the meaning of stop). lx cranks have replaced my stx cranks due to numerous missing teeth. i really can't think of any reasons why i should upgrade my deraillers, other than spending money i could use elsewhere...

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Ian
a weekend warrior
from London UK

Date Reviewed: August 27, 1997

Bottom Line:

My STX gruppo has seen mud, rain, snow, sand etc and has never not shifted smoothly and quickly. I have never had chainsuck and it has survived a few nasty crashes including a bent gear hanger and a broken collar bone (mine!). I have kept it clean and lubed but not had to adjust it for a year. What more do you want? It may be too heavy to race with but i'd think long and hard before spending more.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Clint Matthews
a weekend warrior
from Atlanta, Ga., USA

Date Reviewed: August 15, 1997

Bottom Line:

STX is as low as you'll want to go in the dirt and still expect the parts to live a few months. STX works ok but you must clean it often or grime will kill the chain rings and rear cluster. STX is heavy. Sunigo is lighter and cheaper and looks better. Still, if all you have is a few bucks to spend on a bike STX will get you down the trail. It just won't do it for more than a season or so. Up grading the rear cluster to a more expensive 13 X 32 will make the pedaling smoother and shifting more accurate.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
Fred
a cross-country rider
from New Zealand

Date Reviewed: August 15, 1997

Bottom Line:

The STX-RC derailleurs gave up on me really quickly, 2 months. I got to upgrade to XT under warranty, and they are sooo much better. I guess they aren't too bad though.

Overall Rating:

Submitted by
jerry
a cross-country rider
from Corvallis, Or

Date Reviewed: August 7, 1997

Bottom Line:

My experience with STX-RC is on my kids' and wife's bikes. I like the STX-RC rear and front derailuers, functional and budget priced, the STX-RC hubs are also very good and priced right. However, the STX-RC brakes are only OK, they work but I think that the LX V-brake is much better and not too expensive. The STX crankset is weak and very heavy with the steel rings, plus you have to add adaptors if you want anything other than stock rings. So, in summary, good stuff (not great), Brakes OK but replace them when you can, junk the STX crankset and buy a Sugino Impel or LX. Four stars for most stuff, 3 for the brakes, 2 for the crank, overall 3+